It is well known that conventional lawnmowers have the potential to inflict great bodily harm or loss of life to the operator or bystander. The metal cutting blade customarily used in lawnmowers can permanently disfigure or injure the operator or an innocent bystander.
To make the lawnmower safer to use, flexible cutting filaments (more commonly used with trimmers) have been used to replace the standard metal blades. Use of flexible cutting filaments, however, has resulted in a tear of the grass vegetation rather than a clean cut because flexible cutting filaments are typically round. This problem has been addressed somewhat by the introduction of flexible cutting filaments with a triangular cutting edge. These triangular filaments tend to give a more even cut. However, the rotary members used for holding the flexible cutting filaments typically include rigid arms or projections which have the potential of hurting or injuring an unwary operator or bystander.
Accordingly, a need continues to exist for an efficient and safe cutting head for a lawnmower, trimmer, or similar device. With the recent emphasis on mulching so as to reduce grass clipping debris being taken to landfills, it is desirable that the cutting head also provide a form of mulching.